After 12 years of work, of meeting and sharing, the French community of HEMA practitioners, gathered on October 22nd in L’Isle-Adam, decided to create a structure that would allow the recognition of the work accomplished by the associations and groups composing it (listed below). For this, it seemed sensible to create a viable entity that would be acknowledged for its expertise in HEMA.

These associations, represented by specialists from different backgrounds (academics, private researchers, practitioners, martial artists etc), given the cultural, historical and martial richness necessary to the greater understanding of the ancient Arts, therefore have decided out of a common, consented will, to regroup and to create the Fédération Française des Arts Martiaux Historiques Européens (FFAMHE). This latter association has been officially declared at the sous-préfecture of L’Hay-les-Roses on the 28th of December 2011.

Among the founding members can be recognised several French HEMAC members : Franck Cinato, Thomas Schmuziger, Damien Dyon, Oliver Dupuis… as well as leading personalities on the French HEMA scene : Olivier Delannoy, Simon Landais, Yann Bauzin…

This federation aims to gather the French associations in a national-scale structure, so as to help HEMA get recognition and development on local, regional and national scales, and to emulate and facilitate the research, study, practice and promotion of Historical European Martial Arts in a legal and modern frame.

In agreement with the fundamental principles of HEMA as developped by the Historical European Martial Arts Coalition (researching, understanding, practicing, promoting), and as the claimed object of its being, the FFAMHE proposes to strengthen the current dynamics on the French HEMA scene by :

– setting up exchange of information on the martial disciplines and methods of practice

– providing advice, contacts, ideas to associations to help them in their daily life and in their growth (communication strategies, funding requests, public and private partnerships…)

– promoting HEMA through national media channels

– helping HEMA being recognised on a national level in all their specific aspets (cultural, physical, heritage..)

– obtaining national and european funds

Already since its creation, the FFAMHE has already started working on the following :

– Redaction of a French AMHE Charter, that is to be added to the official documents of the federation (statutes and inner regulations). This Charter will be a vade-mecum destined to provide a frame and guidelines to the practice, each association being then free to give any shape to the said practice